871 Best Sights in England

You can climb up the hill in town to the ruins of this castle—a fine Norman motte and bailey design—for a wonderful view of Totnes and the River Dart.

Surprises await inside this large town house built during the 16th and 17th centuries. With an eye for texture, decoration, and pattern, industrialist Frank Green—who lived here from 1897 to 1930—re-created 13 period rooms, including a medieval great hall, as a showcase for his collection of antique furniture, ceramics, art, and textiles. Delft tiles decorate the former kitchen (now a shop), and the dining room retains its 16th-century paneling and 18th-century plasterwork. Stumpwork from the 17th century is the highlight of the textiles in the Tapestry Room. There's an actual Roman road in the cellar, plus a display about Roman York and one resident's account of seeing a ghostly Roman legion in the 1950s. Access to the house is by hour-long guided tour only in April–October.

Cornwall's mild climate has endowed it with some of the country's most spectacular gardens, among which is Trelissick Garden on the banks of the River Fal. Famous for its camellias, hydrangeas, magnolias, and rhododendrons, the terraced garden is set within 375 acres of wooded parkland, offering wonderful panoramic views and making this a paradise for walkers. There are also tranquil views from the porticoed Trelissick House and an exhibition of Cornish arts and crafts in a separate gallery.

Founded in 1546 by Henry VIII, Trinity replaced a 14th-century educational foundation and is the largest college in either Cambridge or Oxford, with nearly 1,000 undergraduates. In the 17th-century great court, with its massive gatehouse, is Great Tom, a giant clock that strikes each hour with high and low notes. The college's true masterpiece is Sir Christopher Wren's library, colonnaded and seemingly constructed with as much light as stone. Among the things you can see here is A. A. Milne's handwritten manuscript of The House at Pooh Corner. Trinity alumni include Sir Isaac Newton, William Thackeray, Lord Byron, Lord Tennyson, and 34 Nobel Prize winners (to date). Guided tours (£5) of the grounds occur daily at 10, 11:30, 2, and 3:30.

The last old East End brewery still standing—a handsome example of Georgian and 19th-century industrial architecture, and in late Victorian times the largest brewery in the world—has been transformed into a cavernous hipster mall housing galleries, record shops, fashion-forward boutiques, bars, clubs, and restaurants, along with an array of international street-food vendors. There's also a fantastic—and absolutely sprawling—vintage-clothing market in the basement, trendy retailers at street level, and offices and studios on the upper floors. Events include fashion shows for both new and established designers, excellent sample sales, art installations, and, on weekends, a food hall and market stalls selling both new and vintage clothing. The brewery itself shut down in 1989.

Tread carefully over the cobbles, and enter Tudor World on Sheep Street to find a dimly lit and quirky maze of displays that explore, with the help of Tudor mannequins, aspects of the 16th century, including the plague years, early medicine, witch trials, bearbaiting, punishment, and alleged ghosts. Kids will enjoy peering round the curtains and opening the boxes of smells. At night, ghost tours by lantern light (suitable only for adults and older children) explore the house’s paranormal history in spooky detail.

Considered the largest outdoor market in the Cotswolds, the Tuesday Market takes over the center of the main street between 9 am and 3 pm, with a mix of household goods, fruits and vegetables, and some arts-and-crafts and jewelry stalls. It's no newcomer to the market scene either: it was chartered in 1227.

Dating from 1897 but fully restored, these Moorish-inspired baths have beautiful glazed brickwork, vaulted painted ceilings, and elaborately-tiled floors that look virtually the same as they would have to their fashionable Victorian clientele. After changing into your bathing suit, relax on luxurious lounge chairs in the stunning mosaic-tile warming room. Move on to the increasingly hot sauna rooms, and then soak up eucalyptus mist in the steam room before braving the icy plunge pool. You can also book a massage or facial. Open hours are divided into single-sex and mixed sessions, so book in advance. Guided tours are given Wednesday at 8:30 am.

Exeter's Underground Passages, which once served as conduits for fresh water, are the only medieval vaulted passages open to the public in Britain. They date from the mid-14th century, although some were enlarged by the Victorians. An exhibition and video precede the 25-minute guided tour. Many of the passages are narrow and low, so be prepared to stoop. Tours often sell out at weekends and during school vacations, so come early. Children under five are not permitted in the tunnels.

Seven hundred years' worth of funeral monuments crowd this spacious, galleried church, including the altar-step tombstone of Amy Robsart, the wife of Robert Dudley, who was Elizabeth I's favorite suitor. One pillar marks the site where Thomas Cranmer, Anglican author of The Book of Common Prayer, was brought to trial for heresy by Queen Mary I (Cranmer had been a key player in the Protestant reforms). He was later burned at the stake nearby on Broad Street. The top of the 14th-century tower has a panoramic view of the city's skyline—it's worth the 127 steps. The Vaults and Garden café, part of the church accessible from Radcliffe Square, serves breakfasts and cream teas as well as good lunches.

Certainly one of the most original ways to see London, this thrilling urban expedition takes you on a 90-minute journey across the giant dome of The O2 arena. After a short briefing, you're dressed in safety gear and taken in small groups across a steep walkway, running all the way to the summit and down the other side. The high point (literally) is a viewing platform, 171 feet aboveground, with magnificent views of the city. On a clear day you can see for 15 miles (that's as far as Waltham Abbey to the north and Sevenoaks to the south). Climbs at sunset and twilight are also available, but the best trips are on nights when London is lit up by fireworks, such as New Year's Eve, Fireworks Night, and Diwali.

It's quite an experience, but unsurprisingly there are restrictions: you have to be at least eight years old, taller than 4 feet, have a waist measurement that's less than 49 inches, weigh less than 286 pounds, and pregnant women can't make the climb at all. Wheelchairs can be accommodated on a few tours. Advance booking is essential.

Southwest of the town center, these 17 acres of formal gardens include a children's boating lake, tennis courts, skate park, adventure playground, miniature golf course, paddling pool, zip lines, and a little café.

With exhibits on everything from food to burial practices, the Verulamium Museum, on the site of the ancient Roman city, explores life 2,000 years ago. The re-created Roman rooms contain colorful mosaics that are some of the finest in Britain. Every second weekend of the month, "Roman soldiers" invade the museum and demonstrate the skills of the Imperial Army.

Adjacent to the Verulamium Museum, this park contains the usual—playground, wading pool, lake—and the unusual, namely Roman ruins that include part of the town hall and a hypocaust, or central-heating system, that dates from AD 200 and included one of the first heated floors in Britain. Brick columns supported the floor, and hot air from a nearby fire was drawn underneath it to keep bathers warm.

To the north of the cathedral, the cobbled Vicar's Close, one of Europe's oldest streets, has terraces of handsome 14th-century houses with strange, tall chimneys. A tiny medieval chapel here is still in use.

This large, important commercial gallery, in a former furniture factory, has exhibited some of the biggest names on the British contemporary art scene: Grayson Perry, Chris Ofili, the Chapman Brothers, Paula Rego, Isaac Julien, and many others. Some exhibitions spill out into the gallery's garden. It also brings in exciting talent from abroad.

At 800 feet, this addition to the London skyline currently offers the highest vantage point in western Europe. Designed by the noted architect Renzo Piano, it has attracted both admiration and disdain. Although the building itself is generally highly regarded, many felt it would have been better sited in Canary Wharf (or perhaps Dubai), as it spoils views of St. Paul's Cathedral from traditional vantage points such as Hampstead's Parliament Hill. No matter how you feel about the building, there's no denying that it offers a spectacular 360-degree vista over London (extending 40 miles on a clear day) from viewing platforms on Level 69 and the open-air skydeck on Level 72—almost twice as high as any other viewpoint in the city. Digital telescopes provide information about 200 points of interest.

A weather guarantee lets you return on a more clement day if visibility is seriously impeded, and various theme events like silent discos or early-morning yoga classes are offered at an extra charge. Admission is by timed ticket only. If you find the price as eye-wateringly high as the viewing platforms, a less dramatic but still very impressive (and free) view is from the lobby of the Shangri-La hotel on the 35th floor, or, in the evenings, the hotel's chic Gong bar on the 52nd floor (over-18s only).

Built by Brighton inventor Magnus Volk in 1883, this was the first electric railway anywhere in the world—and it's been spruced-up in an extensive, expensive restoration. The 1¼-mile, three-station trip, a slice of Brighton's history, takes you along the beachfront Marine Parade.

A spectacular West Sussex oasis that is managed by the world-renowned Royal Botanic Gardens in Kew, Wakehurst comprises a 16th-century country manor house surrounded by 500 acres of gardens. The site has a heady mix of meadows, woodland, wetlands, and walled gardens, and is home to the ambitious Millennium Seed Bank project, which conserves seeds from all of the United Kingdom's native flora to save species from extinction in the wild. The current collection also includes seeds from about 25% of the world's flora. If visiting in December, look out for the giant redwood Christmas tree, the United Kingdom's largest. Wakehurst is 6 miles southwest of East Grinstead.

Another of Henry VIII's coastal fortifications, this castle was converted in 1708 into a residence for the Lord Warden of the Cinque Ports, a ceremonial honor dating back to the early Middle Ages. Made up of four round towers around a circular keep, the castle has counted many famous figures among its lord wardens, including William Pitt the Younger (1759–1806), the Duke of Wellington (1769–1852), and Sir Winston Churchill (1874–1965). The small museum here homes in on Wellington (who lived here from 1829 until his death), telling the story of his victory at Waterloo over Napoléon through a rather random selection of memorabilia, including an original pair of Wellington boots, which the duke is credited with inventing.

Visitors can enter the drawing and dining rooms of the castle (except when the lord warden is in residence) and explore the 8 acres of award-winning gardens that surround the fortification. These include the Glen, a planted former chalk quarry, and the sprawling lavender gardens, which come with gorgeous ocean views. The castle is about 2 miles south of Deal town center.

Connecting the two Slaughters is part of the Warden's Way, a mile-long pathway that begins in Upper Slaughter at the town-center parking lot and passes stone houses, green meadows, ancient trees, and a 19th-century corn mill with a waterwheel and brick chimney. The Warden's Way continues south to Bourton-on-the-Water; the full walk from Winchcombe to Bourton is 14 miles. The Winchcombe Welcomes Walkers website has useful information about the self-guided walk.

Six miles southeast of Newcastle, this National Trust property is the ancestral home of the first U.S. president. George Washington's direct forebears, the de Wessyngtons, lived here between 1183 and 1288. Other family members resided in the house until 1613, when the property was rebuilt in its current form, using parts of the medieval manor. The stone house retains a Jacobean (17th-century) appearance, particularly in the fine wood paneling and the heavy furniture. The property's door is opened at 15-minute intervals, so take a stroll around the ornate formal garden while you wait.

This 10-mile-long scenic railroad line named for the area's watercress beds is reserved for steam locomotives and takes in both the highest station in southern England and several locomotive restoration workshops. It starts at Alresford (8 miles northeast of Winchester by A31 and B3046), where you'll find some antiques shops and Georgian houses, and runs to Alton.

One of the oldest Cistercian abbeys in England, this was an important center of monastic power from 1128 until Henry VIII's dissolution of the monasteries. What remains is a strikingly picturesque ruin surrounded by open countryside. Roofed sections of the undercroft and monks' dormitory survive, as do the refectory tunnel and a magnificent yew tree in the former churchyard, thought to be around 700 years old. A more unexpected historical footnote sits on the banks of the abbey stream: moss-covered tank traps, overlooked from across a field by a pillbox (sniper station). They were placed here during World War II after British generals role-played a Nazi invasion and decided this was the route they'd choose to attack London. Unused plans later found in Berlin showed they were right. The abbey is off the B3001, 11 miles southwest of Guildford. Parking is limited so it's best to visit during weekdays if possible.

On the outskirts of Singleton, a secluded village 5½ miles north of Chichester, is this sanctuary for historical buildings dating from the 10th through 19th century. Among the more than 50 historic structures moved to 40 acres of wooded meadows are a cluster of medieval houses, a working water mill, a Tudor market hall, and a Victorian schoolhouse. Look carefully, and you might recognize some structures from the hit Amazon/BBC TV show Good Omens, while British TV fans will notice that the Court Barn is the main setting for the BBC's The Repair Shop.  The buildings are brought to life with regular tours, talks, and demonstrations. Ask at reception what's scheduled, as events are not always well advertised.

If you fancy something unconventional, sample this collection by U.S. pharmaceutical millionaire and philanthropist Henry Wellcome (1853–1936), which explores the connections between medicine, life, and art (some exhibits may not be suitable for younger children). Comprising an estimated 1 million items, the collection includes Napoléon's elegant silver gilt–handled toothbrush, Horatio Nelson's razor, and Charles Darwin's walking stick. There are also anatomical models, Peruvian mummies, and Japanese sex toys, as well as a fascinating permanent exhibition, "Being Human." Keep an eye out for an original Picasso in the lobby just above the entrance when you enter.

Opposite the Duke of Wellington's mansion, Apsley House, this majestic stone arch surveys the traffic rushing around Hyde Park Corner. Designed by Decimus Burton and completed in 1828, it was created as a grand entrance to the west side of London and echoes the design of that other landmark gate, Marble Arch. Both were triumphal arches commemorating Britain's victory against France in the Napoleonic Wars. Atop the building, the Angel of Peace descends on the quadriga, or four-horse chariot of war. Inside the arch, three floors of permanent and temporary exhibits reveal the monument's history. From the balconies at the top of the arch you can peek into the back garden at across-the-road Buckingham Palace.

These are the headquarters of the Guards Division, the King's five regiments of elite foot guards (Grenadier, Coldstream, Scots, Irish, and Welsh), who protect the sovereign and, dressed in tunics of gold-purled scarlet and tall bearskin caps, patrol his palaces. Guardsmen alternate these ceremonial postings with serving in current conflicts, for which they wear more practical uniforms. Pass by first thing in the morning and you might spot the soldiers exercising in the yard. The Guards Museum has displays on all aspects of a guardsman's life in conflicts dating back to 1642. The Guards Chapel, the spiritual home of the Household Division, dates to 1962, the previous chapel having been destroyed during World War II.

The great west towers of the Cathedral Church of St. Andrew, the oldest surviving English Gothic church, can be seen for miles. Dating from the 12th century, Wells Cathedral (as it's more commonly known) derives its beauty from the perfect harmony of all of its parts, the glowing colors of its original stained-glass windows, and its peaceful setting among stately trees and majestic lawns. To appreciate the elaborate west-front facade, approach the building from the cathedral green, accessible from Market Place through a great medieval gate called "penniless porch" (named after the beggars who once waited here to collect alms from worshippers). The cathedral's west front is twice as wide as it is high, and some 300 statues of kings and saints adorn it.

Inside, vast inverted arches—known as scissor arches—were added in 1338 to stop the central tower from sinking to one side. In the left transept, look out for the cathedral's rare and beautiful medieval clock, the second-oldest working clock in the world, consisting of the seated figure of a man called Jack Blandifer, who strikes a bell on the quarter hour while mounted knights circle in a joust. Near the clock is the entrance to the Chapter House—a small wooden door opening onto a great sweep of stairs worn down on one side by the tread of pilgrims over the centuries.

Free guided tours setting off on the hour from 11 am until 3 pm (not Sunday) and lasting approximately one hour begin at the back of the cathedral. The website also has details of less frequent special interest tours exploring the cathedral's stained glass, stone carvings, and embroidery, as well as tours taking in the galleries and roof spaces, the exterior and Vicar's Close, and the chained library, all of which need advance booking and cost extra. The Loft Café serves snacks and teas.

This museum in a working dairy documents how the famed local cheese—so beloved by the popular animated characters Wallace and Gromit—developed over time. You can watch production (best seen between 10 am and 4:30 pm ) from the viewing gallery and then taste (and buy) over 20 varieties of the output in the excellent cheese shop. A restaurant serves plenty of samples—try Wensleydale smoked with ginger or apricots.